MEMORANDUM

TO: City Council

FROM: David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT: Bowie High Student Government Association Request

DATE: February 15, 2007

At the February 5th Council meeting, representatives from the Bowie High School Student Government Association (SGA) made a short presentation about their upcoming trip to Bowie’s adopted city of D’Iberville, Mississippi. The SGA is planning to send approximately 45 individuals on a work trip to the Gulf Region during spring break to assist with rebuilding houses.

The students plan to travel by bus and stay in the D’Iberville Volunteer Village. They estimate that the trip will cost $13,525. The volunteers will pay a portion of their own costs and the SGA will put $4,000 toward the trip. The students also hope to raise money from the local business community. They are asking the City to donate $4,000 toward this effort.

In 2005, Bowie High students encouraged the City to adopt a city in the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Since that time Bowie residents have supported D’Iberville in a variety of ways, such as donating books to the D’Iberville High School Library, sending work groups from local churches, sending school supplies, toiletries and clothing to the Boys and Girls Club in D’Iberville, sending computers, and making donations to the D’Iberville Volunteer Foundation to assist with the rebuilding effort.

With the exception of the money expended to send a group of city employees to work in D’Iberville last July, the City has not donated City funds to the effort. The donations have come from individuals, businesses, clubs, houses of worship and other organizations in the Bowie area.

It was the consensus of the Council to discuss this request at a public meeting. Staff recommends that Council approve the Bowie High Student Government’s request for a $4,000 donation toward their work trip to D’Iberville, Mississippi in April of this year.